


Come and Get Your Love

by regardinglove



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Abusive Relationships, Also Alistair is a dick, Alternate Universe - High School, Basically Dean is a big nerd and Cas is the punk genius, High School, M/M, School Dances, Tumblr Valentine Cards, Valentine's Day, Verbal Abuse, nerd!dean, punk!Castiel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-15
Updated: 2015-02-15
Packaged: 2018-03-12 21:58:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,342
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3356771
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/regardinglove/pseuds/regardinglove
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The annual Valentine’s Fling is a week away and Dean still doesn’t have a date. He’s come to terms that he will most likely be stuck playing third wheel to Sam and Jess, until a series of valentine cards appear from a secret admirer.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Come and Get Your Love

It all begins on a Thursday.

Dean is walking to class with his eye on the clock, knowing that he has about thirty seconds to be in Ms. Mills’ English class before the bell rings. He glances around at the almost empty hall and picks up speed, practically running as he turns the corner and the classroom comes into view. With a grin on his face, Dean runs the rest of the way until he’s practically skidding on the wood floors, falling into the room just at the late bell chimes.

“Nice of you to join us today, Mr. Winchester,” Ms. Mills says drily from the front, eyeing him impatiently. “Now sit down. Today we’re going to be discussing _The Iliad_ …”

He makes his way over to his usual desk and slides in, pulling out his battered copy of Homer’s classic from his backpack. His hands are a bit sweaty from running, so when he brings the book up to the desk he drops it with a light thud, his notes from the last class period flying out onto the floor.

“Dammit,” Dean whispers under his breath. He kicks the back of the seat in front of him. “Hey...Gabe? Gabriel!”

Gabriel Loki, in his true fashion, turns around with a light smirk on his lips and a lollypop clutched between his teeth. “What’s up, kiddo?” he says around the candy, the words coming out garbled.

“I need you to grab my notes. I dropped them behind your desk.”

Gabe just nods and reaches back, picking up the array of papers off the floor. Grinning, he places them on Dean’s desk and throws an obnoxiously pink valentine card on top, a strange picture of Nala from _The Lion King_ printed on it.

“This isn’t mine,” Dean whispers as he hands the card back over, but Gabe just shakes his head.

“Yes it is, bucko. Read the name on the card,” he replies as he wiggles his eyebrows. “It seems like you’ve gotta secret admirer, boy.”

As told, Dean glances down at the text. Written above the atrocious Comic Sans font is his name in perfect penmanship, with the words ‘ _I want you to hakuna my tatas_ ’ placed next to Nala’s suggestive pose. He glares at Gabe when he hears the light laughter coming from his classmate, and shoves the card into his backpack.

“Ha ha, very funny,” Dean mutters as he jots down the quote Ms. Mills just iterated. “I know you just found this on the floor and wrote my name on top. Now leave me alone, will ya? We’ve got a quiz on this next week and I know squat about this book.”

Gabe rolls his eyes as he turns back around. “I didn’t do it, bucko. Check my handwriting. It’s nothing like that.”

Dean peers over Gabe’s shoulder. Sure enough, his penmanship is childlike at best, atrocious at worst, the letters running together in shaky lines.

“You could’ve gotten another person to write it,” Dean accuses, loud enough to get a glare from Ms. Mills up front.

Gabriel waits until she is turned around to say, “Fine, you don’t believe me now, Winchester, but you will when the others start coming.”

Dean ignores Gabe for the rest of class and listens to the lecture. However, the card is still in his eyesight, and he finds himself peeking down at the flash of pink in his backpack. His head is telling him that it had to be Gabe’s doing, no one has ever shown interest in Dean before after all, but he can’t ignore the part of him that hopes it is real. Maybe it’s because he has never been noticeable. With his dorky disposition and glasses that are too big for his face, he’s come to terms that he will spend the rest of his life third wheeling with his younger brother and his perfect girlfriend. Nobody wants a guy who spends his weekends holed up in his tiny apartment watching _Top Gear_ and writing _Star Trek_ fan fiction… do they?

When the bell rings at the end of class, Dean realizes that he couldn’t tell you anything that was talked about. With a loud groan, he gets up and heads out, the valentine card still sticking in the back of his mind throughout the rest of the day. Funny how he never thought he’d be spending his time running over the possible meanings of a card with a cartoon lion on it.

“Ooh, what’s this?” Jess squeals as her and Sam pile into the back of the Impala after school, pulling out the valentine from Dean’s backpack.

“Hey!” Dean barks at her, “that’s personal! Put it back!”

“Why, Dean?” Sam taunts as he leans over next to Jess. “Do you have a secret admirer or something?”

Dean glares at them in the rearview mirror as he punches the car into drive, flying out the Carver Prep parking lot. The sooner he gets home, the better.

“Oh my goodness...you do!” Jess screams as she holds the valentine close to her face. “And apparently they want to get with you too. Look at the innuendo in this card. _Hakuna my tatas_? For real?”

“Do you think it’s Lisa Braeden?” Sam asks with a grin on his face. “She’s been looking at Dean all semester long.”

_Really? Lisa?_

“Oh! Or maybe it is Cassie Robinson from his homeroom! I saw her practically drooling over him in the cafeteria yesterday.”

“Whoa whoa whoa, what are you guys talkin’ about?” Dean asks loudly. “Nobody has ever looked at me, ever. It’s probably a joke from Gabe or something like that. Guy’s a dick, after all.”

He glances into the mirror and sees Sam and Jess eyeing him with amused expressions.

“Dean...are you really that oblivious? Everyone in school is enamored by you and your ‘nerdy chic physique’,” Jess comments as she runs a hand through her hair. “They’re all afraid to approach you though because you’re always studying. If you actually talked to people you’d know that.”

He pulls up in front of Jess’s house and tightens his grip on the wheel. “You’re wrong,” he replies. “Nobody would be interested in me. I’m like, ninety percent crap.”

Jess slides out of the car and throws Dean one last tiny grin before leaving. “I think you’ll find out that’s incorrect. You just need to give people a chance, Dean.”

And then with that she’s gone, leaving a very confused Dean behind.

* * *

The next one comes on Friday.

Dean is fumbling through his locker when another card falls from his book, this one bright green with a picture of Draco Malfoy on it. With a loud groan, he reaches down to pick up the card, blushing profusely when he reads, ‘ _How ‘bout I slither-in between yo legs_ ’ below his name.

“Another one?” Sam asks from behind, and Dean tries (and fails) to put the card away before his nosy, sonovabitch brother can taunt him about it.

“None of your business,” Dean mutters as he throws the card back into his locker, but Sam is faster, his hand grabbing the offending object before it lands.

“A Harry Potter reference? This person must know you pretty well, Dean. Any guesses on who it is?”

Dean takes the books he needs for his next class out of his locker and slams it as hard as he can, trying to hide the redness that is heating his cheeks. “No clue. There’s not a name on it, obviously. Not even a ‘from your secret admirer' or anythin’. It’s weird, man! Who is this and why are they interested in me? I don’t get it, Sammy! I don’t!”

“Dean, calm yourself please!” Sam hisses as he pulls Dean aside, trying fruitlessly to quell the shaking that has taken over Dean’s nervous form. “Who knows, but they will reveal themselves in due time. You’ve just gotta wait. I’m sure it’ll be some girl who’s been fawning over you, or who knows? Maybe it’s even Ms. Barnes,” Sam says with a shit-eating grin, and Dean bats him away as he heads off for his next class.

“You know I’m right!” he hears Sam call from down the hall, and he throws up his middle finger before turning the corner.

 _It has to be a big joke_ , Dean thinks as he falls into his desk. _Nobody can like a guy like me. It’s not possible. Not after…_

Luckily, Mrs. Tran begins her lecture of the history of the Vikings then, because if Dean allows himself to bring up memories of _him_ , he’s sure he’ll have to fake sick and go home. So instead of thinking about his past, he throws himself into his work, writing down every fact he can absorb about the Vikings and their culture, loving the feeling of calm that comes with the routine of writing and learning facts.

When the class ends though, the valentine from before pops back into his mind, and Dean is once again left wondering what kind of person would be interested in a broken boy like him.

* * *

The weekend is filled with Dean going through the class list, trying to find anyone who could be the “secret admirer” he’s looking for. After talks with Jess and Sam, he has it down to five possible people: Cassie Robinson from homeroom, Lisa Braeden from English, _him_ , Benny Lafitte from Auto, and Dean’s least likely and most hopeful choice, Castiel Novak from Biology.

Even though he’s entirely out of Dean’s league, there is still an irrational part of him that hopes the one and only Castiel Novak is the one behind the cards. It is a vapid hope because one, Castiel has no idea Dean even exists and two, rumor has it that he’s dating Carver Prep’s star football player, Alfie Graceland. It is ridiculous to even allow him on the list.

However, having Castiel there brings down the odds of _him_ being the admirer by a fifth, and that is enough to bring a bit of peace to Dean’s being. Because if he’s being honest with himself, Dean can’t even entertain the idea that _he_ is the one behind all this, that even after the fallout that left Dean a broken shell _he_ would be back for more, trying to take the last shred of dignity and self worth Dean had of himself.

So he leaves Castiel as a possibility, letting his crush display itself openly on the piece of paper Dean wrote the names down on. It’s just a farflung idea; Castiel will never notice him.

Until the day that he does.

* * *

Monday goes faster than usual. It’s probably because Dean knows there is going to be another card coming, and now he’s anxious for that piece of paper to appear as if from nowhere, bringing promises of a person who may actually be interested in him. It puts him on edge though, his eyes scanning the hallway for anyone holding bright pieces of paper, his feet lithe and ready to run if he even catches a glimpse of pink.

When fifth period rolls around and no card has been left in Dean’s locker though, he begins to get nervous. _What if the person lost interest? What if_ he _is the one behind this after all?_ _What if it is all one big joke?_ All of the fears that have been flying through Dean’s thoughts over the past few days come back in blaring clarity, distracting him from the instructions Ms. Barnes is giving out in Biology.

It isn’t until a light cough rings out from next to him that Dean even realizes that they’re supposed to be pairing up for the experiment, and he automatically moves over for his lab partner, Ruby, who never actually works with him anyway.

“You better work today, Ruby. I ain’t having any snark from you.”

“Uh...I’m not Ruby,” a low, too familiar voice rings out from beside him.

When he does look up, Dean is staring into the bright blue eyes of no other than Castiel Novak, punk genius extraordinaire. He looks even better up close; his black hair with the infamous blue stripe is tousled like he just had intense sex in the coat closet (which is the last thing Dean needs to be thinking about, thank you very much), and that nose piercing is glimmering in the florescent light. And if that isn’t enough, he also is wearing eyeliner and is doused in all leather, making Dean’s plaid shirt and large glasses look like children’s wear.

Dean doesn't know what to say, so in awkward Winchester fashion he just replies, “Uh...what?”  

Castiel laughs lowly and slides in next to Dean. “I said, I’m not this Ruby you speak of, but I am a guy in need of a partner. Want to work together?”

Of course he wants to work with Castiel, but his mind is yelling at him to abort the mission, back away slowly, and teleport out of there. He can feel the anxiety creep up into his being, the words _he_ told Dean coming back to haunt him. _You’re never good enough, not for me or anyone else. You’re broken, Dean. Broken and lost and alone. You’ll always be alone_.

Dean growls under his breath and shoves the thoughts aside. _Not today_ , he thinks.

“Uh, sure!” he replies way too late, pushing his books to the side so Castiel can move over.

With a silent grin, Castiel grabs the equipment on the table and begins to set it up while Dean watches dumbfoundedly, completely enraptured with his long fingers and lithe hand movements. He’s too caught up to even notice that Castiel has basically invaded any social norms of personal space, crowding Dean’s area as he pulls out a slide for the microscope.

“...And then we need to list the different pieces of the plant after we find out what type it is,” Cas says, but Dean just blinks at him like a fool.

“Uh...what was that again?” Dean asks with a little embarrassed look coming to his face.

Castiel’s brow furrows as he takes in Dean’s expression. “Is there something wrong?”

Yeah, Dean thinks, there are lot of things that are wrong, but you’re not one of them.

“Nothing!” Dean replies as he knocks his arm into Castiel’s, trying to look into the microscope. “We just need to find the thing...with the thing…” he trails off with a grin, loving the little flip of his gut when Castiel laughs at his poor attempt for humor.

“Oh yes, the ever elusive thing with the thing,” he replies as he once again gets into Dean’s personal space, their faces way too close for Dean’s comfort. “If by ‘thing’ you mean a plant, then you’d be correct…” he trails off.

“Oh, my name is Dean, Dean Winchester,” he fills in, offering his (totally not disgusting and awkward) sweaty hand.

Castiel looks down at it and shakes back, throwing him a gaze filled with implications. “My name is Castiel Novak...but my friends call me Cas.”

“Can I call you Cas then?” Dean asks as he leans forward, and then yells as he finds himself falling over nothing, stumbling over his own feet as Cas catches him.

“Well now I can basically say that I saved your life, so yeah, you can call me Cas,” he replies as he helps with getting Dean upright again, “but I would’ve let you even if I didn’t just prevent lifelong embarrassment. I like you, Winchester.”

And damn if that doesn’t turn Dean into a child, his eyes automatically flitting to the ground to avoid Cas’s bright gaze.

“I like you too, Novak,” he says quietly.

The bell rings then, signaling the end of the period. Dean looks down and finds that in their distraction, both of them forgot to fill out the assignment sheets.

“Uh…” Dean trails off, but Cas just waves a hand in front of his face.

“Don’t worry about it,” Cas replies, already gathering the papers together. “I’ve got an in with Ms. Barnes. I think I can convince her to give us an extension on the experiment if you’re willing to come back later this afternoon?”

“Yeah!” Dean says way too quickly, indicated by Cas’s raised eyebrows. “I can do that, for sure,” he replies as he awkwardly runs a hand through his hair, and then because he’s the clumsiest guy ever, Dean finds himself falling backwards into the chair behind him.

_You’re smooth like chunky peanut butter._

Cas laughs as he grabs his backpack from the table. “Okay then, it’s a date. I’ll see you then, Dean,” he replies lowly, and it takes all of Dean’s willpower to leave the room without showing off his pink cheeks.

It isn’t until Dean is out of the room that he notices the peek of blue sticking out of his notebook, a new card gracing Dean’s vision as he pulls it out.

‘ _You set my thrusters on full_ ’ it reads, a picture of no other than Chris Pine’s version of the Captain below the font. And okay, maybe these are a little weird, but he’s getting used to the valentines, even becoming fond of them. This one makes Dean laugh out loud, which gets a few confused looks from the classmates around him.

“I’ll find out who you are,” he whispers to no one in particular, then puts the card into his notebook before walking to his next class.

* * *

The valentines kept coming as the week went on, one for every day. Tuesday’s was found in his locker again, and the picture of the Tenth Doctor was so absurd that he would burst out in laughter randomly throughout the day, whispering to himself ‘ _I can think of a few ways to get the TARDIS rolling’_. Wednesday’s appeared in Biology again, a purple one that depicted Elsa saying ‘ _I want you to let it go...inside of me._ ’ Thursday’s was a teal one that made Dean turn as red as a beet because it said, ‘ _I don’t need a spoonful of sugar to go down on you_ ,’ and Friday’s was probably the best one of all, another pink one that said ‘ _Oh no no no, don’t Barak with my heart._ ’ By the end of the week, Dean was overflowing with innuendo filled valentines, a few falling out everytime he tried to open his locker.

However, that wasn’t the only great thing about Dean’s week. Cas and him were spending a lot of time together, even outside of the Biology lab. After their first after school meeting, Cas proved that he is indeed the genius Dean thought he was, and offered to tutor Dean in Bio if he would tutor Cas in history. They ended up grabbing coffee while Dean tried to explain the Vikings, and Dean listened as Cas talked about how Biology is the basis of daily life. The afternoons turned into nights as Cas came over to their apartment to study, even bantering with Sam and Jess about the Valentine’s dance that was coming up.

It wasn’t like Dean didn’t know about the dance. He was keenly aware that while everyone else had a date, he would be third wheeling as the chauffeur for his fifteen year old brother and his girlfriend. Other seniors were planning out the fling, talking nonstop about dresses and hair and boyfriends, but all Dean wanted to do that night was be the wallflower, fading into the background as everyone else danced and drank the spiked punch until they got found out by the teachers. He had no plans of getting a date, until Cas brought it up one night.

They’re sitting around the fire as Sam dominates them all in a game of Apples to Apples when it gets breached.

“So...are you going to the dance, Dean?” Cas whispers in his ear as he throws down a card.

He nearly spits out the water he’s drinking when Cas says the words. _Why the hell would Cas want to know that?_

“Uh…” Dean stammers.

“Hell yes he is! He’s going with Jess and I,” Sam replies with a smile, shuffling the answer cards before distributing them once again. “And who knows? Possibly his secret admirer will be there too,” Sam taunts with wiggling eyebrows, which makes Jess groan.

“Secret admirer?” Cas asks with an amused look on his face, and Dean turns away as he tries to ignore Cas’s gaze.

“Yeah! Dean’s been getting these cards from a secret admirer all week. It’s adorable,” Jess says as she gets up from the ground, ruffling Sam’s hair before she walks over to the kitchen. “They haven’t revealed who they are yet, though!” she calls from around the corner.

“Okay, enough of that!” Dean says gruffly, ignoring Cas’s intense stare in his direction. “I don’t even wanna go to that stupid dance anymore now that these cards have been showing up. What if they’re all a big prank and someone calls me out in front of everyone? No, I’m not taking the chance.”

“Wait...you’re not going anymore?” Sam asks with those large, puppy dog eyes. “But what about hanging out with Jess and I? C’mon, Dean! It won’t be a prank. You’re being ridiculous.”

Dean wishes he could believe Sam’s words, but his gut tells him otherwise. Nothing about this is logical; even though Sam and Jess think people take notice of Dean at school, he has never witnessed it for himself. He is a geek, the guy people avoid as to not catch the disease of being a hardcore dork. And if anyone besides _him_ is behind this, he can’t even imagine why they would bother. He is nothing.

He doesn’t even notice that his breathing has become ragged until Sam is by his side, holding his face between his palms.

“Dean? Dean, you need to calm down. Deep breaths, remember?”

 _Great_ , Dean thinks. _I’m having a goddamn panic attack in front of Castiel Novak. Way to go, Winchester. Way to go._

With some effort, Cas and Sam get Dean to his feet and into his bedroom, Sam leaving to grab a cold compress from the freezer once he’s propped up. He leans back against the headboard as Cas sits next to him, his hands coming dangerously close to Dean’s. If he were a braver guy, he would’ve entwined them together, letting the steady pulse of Cas’s heart bring his own down to normal levels, but he doesn’t. Instead he just breathes in and out, just like his therapist told him to do after the incident with _him_ last year.

“Thanks, Cas,” Dean mutters under his breath as he runs a hand through Dean’s hair.

“No problem,” Cas whispers in response, and only then does Dean catch a glimpse of the tattoo hidden beneath his shirt.

“Hey,” he asks, partly out of curiosity and partly to get his mind off of _him_ , “what’s your tattoo?”

Cas smiles as he pushes up the sleeve, revealing an intricate design of obsidian wings on his forearm. “I’m named after an angel, so I thought I’d get a tattoo to resemble it. It hurt like hell, though,” he says with squinty eyes. “I’m such a baby that I had to bring my sister along. I probably broke her hand in the process.”

Dean hesitantly brings his fingers up to Cas’s arm, asking with his eyes. When Cas nods in agreement, Dean leans over and runs his fingers over the flesh, grinning when little goosebumps rise at his touch.

“It’s beautiful,” he whispers as he takes his hand back, laying it next to Cas’s once again.

“Thank you,” Cas replies, and then the two fall into silence as Dean recomposes himself, his heartbeat returning to normal after a few seconds of being in Cas’s presence.

However, the spike of anxiety rises again when Cas says, “I really think you should come to the dance, Dean.”

He turns his gaze to the ground and curls in on himself, pulling his legs up onto the bed. “I...I can’t do that, Cas.”

“And why not?” Cas asks innocently, his eyes glowing like tiny blue flames.

“Because my ex will probably be there and I think he’s the one behind all these valentine’s okay?” Dean blurts out, a hand coming to his mouth when the words are out into the open.

Cas glances at him with questions in his gaze, and Dean just groans as he falls further down the wall.

“His name is Alistair,” Dean says, hating the nervous break that comes from saying his name. “He is my ex...my...verbally abusive ex,” he admits.

Cas goes still next to him. “I’m sorry….what?”

Dean takes a breath, because now he’s going to have to tell Cas the whole story. “Do you know Alistair Masters? If you don’t, then good. He’s a dick,” he growls as his fingers curl into the sheets. “Anyway, we dated for the majority of junior year. I was in love with him, Cas. I really was, but I didn’t know that he was abusing me. At first things were fine; he took me out to fancy restaurants that Sammy and I could never afford, and treated me like a prince. We were fine...until I was content with our relationship. That’s when he began to show his...true colors, let’s say. He’d just make little comments, ones that I just passed off as a bad mood at first. But then they became more explicit, and they were clearly aimed at me. I won’t go into the details, because they’re nasty, but by the time I actually got the balls to break up with him, he had already screwed me up so much that I literally don’t have a shred of self worth left. So yeah, Cas, I can’t risk going to this damn dance and chance finding him there. I can’t.”

He assumes that Cas will want to leave after that, get away from the boy with the broken soul, but instead he does exactly the opposite. Cas shyly reaches down and pulls Dean’s hand into his own, running his thumb over the back of Dean’s palm. It makes Dean’s pulse jump because this is _not_ something strictly platonic friends do, and when warm lips find Dean’s ear, he is positive this is no longer just friendship between them.

“I’d love it if you came, but I’ll understand if you don’t,” Cas whispers lowly, and Dean shivers at the close contact between them. “It’s a shitty thing Alistair did to you, but just know that he’s wrong, Dean. From the little time I’ve known you, I’ve come to realize that you’re strong and adorable and kind, and that everything that bastard said is utter bullshit. You’re amazing,” he finishes with a little laugh, and then turns away from Dean’s form.

He hates the little bout of sadness that hits him when Cas is no longer inches from his face.

“You’re wrong,” Dean whispers as Cas gets up from the bed, but the other boy is having none of it.

“I’m right,” he emphasizes as Sam walks back into the room with the ice pack, and then throws Dean one little wink before he leaves.

* * *

The last card comes the day before the dance. It’s a Friday afternoon and now Dean’s locker is overflowing, pieces of colorful paper flying out anytime he tries to even grab a book for class. He knows the logical thing to do would be to throw them away, but he can’t get himself to. Even though he thinks it’s still unlikely, his newfound (confusing, if Dean’s being honest) relationship with Cas is making him rethink the author of the valentines, his list dwindling down to either Cas or Alistair. The other three were quickly eliminated as Jess reported back that they all had dates for the dance.

He finds the last one tucked between his copy of _The Iliad_ before class begins, this one different than the others. Instead of a cheesy pickup line with a suggestive character, this one is an actual card with hearts and ruffles and every cheesy thing in the universe on it. When Ms. Mills isn’t looking, he rips it open quietly and reads the words inside.

_Dean,_

_I hope you’ve enjoyed my valentine’s over these past few weeks. If it isn’t clear, I think you’re pretty great. If you’re willing, would you meet me at the Valentine’s Fling tomorrow? I’ll be the one in the black mask._

_Love,_

_Your Secret Admirer_

Dean gulps loudly as he reads the words, loud enough to catch Gabe’s attention in front of him.

“Ah, so your admirer is still going at it, huh? When are you gonna put out, Dean-o? They’re probably getting antsy waiting,” he says.

He blushes, which only makes Gabe laugh. “Shut up, Gabriel,” Dean mutters, but it has no effect. Gabe just makes a puckering duck face at him until Ms. Mills yells at him to turn around and pay attention, and even then he can hear Gabe’s snickers.

_What an ass._

When the class period is over and Dean heads out to Biology, he has no clue what to do with the card. Going to the dance would bring the identity of the admirer into the open, which could either be amazing or horrifying. The cognitive dissonance wars within him all throughout Ms. Barnes’s lecture about cells, and he’s no closer to an answer when the bell rings and signals the end of the period.

He grabs his books and gets up to leave, but a now familiar hand lands on his arm.

“Dean...what’s wrong? You were acting weird all class,” Cas asks as guides Dean out of the classroom.

“Uh...I got another card today,” Dean says as they walk down the hall, “and whoever it's from wants me to come to the dance. They said they’ll be the one in the black mask.”

He looks over and finds Cas grinning. “Oh, did they now?”

“What are you laughing at, Novak?” Dean practically growls. “This isn’t funny! What if it’s…” he trails off, leaving the sentence unfinished.

Cas frowns. “Dean, I know this is tough, but I think you should go. It is your last big dance after all. Besides, I’ll be there with my sister. Anna isn't about to let me miss my last Valentine’s Fling. Point him out to me and I’ll kick his ass,” Cas promises as they come to a stop at Dean’s next class.

He can’t help it; Dean grins like a doof when Cas makes his proclamation. “So what...you’re ready to defend my honor if need be?”

Cas smiles. “If need be, then yes. But really Dean, I don’t think your ex would go through the trouble of all this. Not if your breakup was as nasty as you made it out to be. Just...give it a chance, okay? I promise I won’t let anything happen to you.”

Dean clutches his books tighter to his chest when Cas says the words. “...Okay,” he agrees reluctantly, but it’s worth it when he glances up and finds Cas’s excitement.

“Great. You won’t regret it. Now get your ass in class, Winchester. I don’t want to be the one dealing with an angry Mr. Devereaux.”

He quickly waves goodbye as he walks into class right when the bell rings, and then slides into the nearest desk with a huge grin lighting up his face. It stays there for the rest of the day.

* * *

Saturday is a bundle of nerves as Dean gets ready for the dance. Sam, as usual, is not phased at all. He just puts on his bright pink shirt and fruitlessly tries to knot a tie around his collar, his long fingers fumbling over the piece of fabric.  

"Let me help, you sasquach,” Dean says as he walks into Sam’s space, tying the knot perfectly.

“Thanks,” Sam says as he looks in the mirror for the thousandth time that night, bringing a hand up to run through his unruly mane.

“Dude, Jess is going to think you like fine regardless. Now can you give me a little bit of room? I’m the one who should be nervous.”

Sam steps to the side and allows Dean to examine himself in the mirror. Even with the new shirt Mary bought him a few days ago, he can’t hide the blaring sign that says CAUTION: DORK AHEAD. His glasses are too loose, falling off of his face anytime he tries to move, and the shirt is just one size too small, clinging to Dean’s chest tighter than he’d ever want. He looks stupid, and the minute this person sees Dean they’re going to turn the other way. He’s a big-

 _No_ , he thinks. _Enough with all this self-loathing bullshit. You’re...great! You’ve got this._

“You look great,” Sam sounds out from behind him, almost as if he could read Dean’s mind.

Dean turns around and tries to throw Sam a convincing smile. “Thanks, little bro. Now let’s go; we’ve got a girl ten times out of your league to pick up.”

Together they exit the apartment and climb into the Impala, Dean turning up the Zepplin tunes to keep the nerves out of his thoughts. He learned over the past few days that if he didn’t think about about the cards then he couldn’t dwell on them, so he has become attune to loud music and crowded places, anything that can keep his thoughts way out of the valentine admirer territory.

After they pick up Jess from her house (who, in Dean’s opinion, looks fifteen times out of Sam’s league in that white dress she’s wearing), they swing into the Carver Prep parking lot and get out, the music already blaring from the gym.

“You ready?” Jess says excitedly as she bounces on her toes, Sam looking like a lovestruck puppy next to her.

Dean takes a deep breath. “Yeah, as ready as I’ll ever be. Let’s go find that secret admirer.”

* * *

The inside of the gym is filled with the sweaty bodies of way too many honry teenagers. People are already grinding on one another in obscene ways, and he watches as one of the teachers pulls one intimate couple apart, bringing them over to the corner for disciplining. The lights flash and bathe the place in red and blue and purple, accompanying the blasting club music nicely. It’s everything Dean despises, but he will grin and bear it to find out who the secret admirer is.

“Do you see anyone in a black mask yet?” Sam calls over the music, his voice getting lost in the thumping bass.

“No, not yet!” Jess calls back to him, her blonde curls turning yellow in the light. “Let’s look over there, okay?”

With a giggle, Jess grabs Sam’s hand and then the two of them are gone, running through the crowds as they check out every person in the room. That leaves Dean alone, his own eyes searching the darkly lit place for anyone who matched the card’s description.

“Why hello, Dean,” a too familiar voice rings out from behind, and Dean’s blood runs cold.

He curls his fingers into his palms until pain blooms on the surface. “Wha...what do you want, Alistair?” he whispers, his voice way less confident than he was going for.

A hand lands on his shoulder, and the next thing Dean knows he’s being pushed up against the wall, Alistair’s too familiar face up in his own.

“Oh I think you know why I’m here, Dean. I wanted to...check up on you. How are you doing now that I’ve gotten my hands on you? Did you cry to your brother when you broke up with me? Did you tell little Sammy what a pathetic piece of shit you are? Did you-”

“Enough.”

Dean turns to the side and nearly gasps. Standing before him is Cas looking like a male model, dressed in all leather (per usual)...with a black mask on his face.

“We’re having a private conversation,” Alistair says menacingly, his grip on Dean’s body getting tougher. “You can leave now.”

“No, you can leave now,” Cas throws back, getting up in Alistair’s space. “I just happen to know that you’re only taunting my friend here because you’re insecure about yourself. Isn’t that right...Wilmington Alexander the Third?”

Dean is dropped from the wall and he falls to the floor, knocking his head on the table next to him in the process. Stars fly before his eyes, but he tries to ignore it to focus on the confrontation between Cas and Alistair.

“I...wha…” Alistair flounders as Cas gets even closer into his personal area, backing him into the wall this time around.

“Oh yes, Wilmington. I am aware that Alistair Masters isn’t your real name...is it? You’re from the wealthy line of Alexanders, and you’re hiding at this school because your father is wanted for tax fraud. Now, this could all just go away if you never talk to Dean again, but if you do then I’ll tell my father, Chuck Novak, about this. He’s one of the biggest lawyers in the business, if you weren’t already aware.” Cas leans into Alistair’s ear. “The choice is yours.”

When he lets the flitting scumbag go, Alistair sprints away from Cas and Dean faster than he thought possible, disappearing out the door before Cas can change his mind.

“Dude,” Dean says in awe when Cas reaches down to pull him up, “that was epic! How the hell did you find out about that?”

Cas laughs. “I was in my father’s office the other day and saw Zachariah Alexander’s wanted sign in the window. It didn’t take a lot of deducing to make the connection,” he says with a sultry smile, his palms still placed against Dean’s arms.

“Just...thank you,” Dean gets out quietly, the music fading into a slower, more Valentine’s Day appropriate tune. “Nobody has ever gone against Alistair for me before. That was amazing.”

“Anytime,” Cas says as takes his hands off of Dean’s figure to pull the black mask off of his face, running his thumb over the glittery surface. “It’s the least I could do for my Valentine, right?”

Dean is glad the room is dark, because he blushes profusely when he connects the dots. Cas was his admirer the whole time. All of the cards were from him, and Dean’s mind flies back to the first one.

“Wait...if you’re the secret admirer, then how did you get the first one to me? That was before we even met…” he trails off.

Cas pulls Dean into an embrace and entwines their fingers together.  “Dean, I’ve been crushing on you from the first day of Bio. This isn’t a new thing, I promise.”

“You still didn’t answer my question,” Dean points out as they start to sway back and forth to the Ed Sheeran song that is playing over the speakers. “That first one...how did it end up in my book?"

“You have class with Gabriel. He’s a cousin of mine. Distantly related, but related nonetheless. Don’t worry, I don’t take after his...inappropriate nature,” he says. “Anyway, once I got the balls to actually do this, I asked Gabe to plant the first one in your book during class. That way I’d get a few days to prepare before I actually talked to you in Bio.”

Dean nods into Cas’s embrace as the song changes tempo, this one way faster than before. However, neither of them make any motion to change position, and they end up swaying slowly as the others start bumping and grinding once again.

“And the last one? Even when I was freaking out about Alistair you didn’t give it up. Why?”

Cas sighs at that and tightens their embrace. “I wanted to, especially after your panic attack, but I’m an idiot who listens to Gabriel. I called him when I left your house and asked him what the hell I was supposed to do, and he told me to go ahead with the plan as it was. Now I wish I didn’t; maybe we could’ve avoided that incident earlier.”

“It’s okay,” Dean whispers into Cas’s neck, “I wouldn’t change this for the world.”

Cas brings his fingers up to lift Dean’s chin. “So...you’ll be my Valentine, then? This worked?”

Dean smiles, and then with a confidence he didn’t know he had, he leans forward and brings their lips together. The kiss is full of fireworks; he can feel the heat build low in his belly as Cas’s hands come up to caress his hair, and the two of them move together easily. Too soon for Dean’s taste, he hears the berating of Mr. Devereaux from the sidelines, yelling at them to get off one another if they don’t want to spend the rest of the week in detention.

They break apart after that, and end up wandering until they find a very entwined Sam and Jess in the crowd. Once the news breaks that Cas was the secret admirer and that Dean agreed to be his Valentine, there are hollers all around from the group. They all agree to grab ice cream before heading home, so Sam and Jess link arms with one another as they follow Cas and Dean out of the dance. The four of them pile into the Impala and sing along with the AC/DC song that is blaring on the radio, and for the first time in a long time, Dean feels truly alive.

* * *

When the night is over and Dean has dropped Jess back at her house, he pulls up to a fancy condo on the outskirts of Lawrence. After some prodding from Sam, Dean follows Cas up to the intricate white door, and leans against the pillar behind him.

“So...your family’s got cash. Good to know,” Dean says, trying to hide the nerves in his voice. He came from nothing and Cas came from everything. How was that going to work out?

Cas can sense this, because he leans forward and pecks a quick kiss to Dean’s cheek. “Dean, don’t even go there. I’m the punk rebel from a wealthy family. My parents think I’m a huge disappointment and already are planning on keeping me out of the family inheritance. I’ll be penniless once I move out of the house for college. Besides, why should cash come between us? I like you for you, Dean, and nothing else. Please, don’t freak out about this.”

Dean walks forward and pulls Cas into a hug. “I won’t if you won’t, deal?”

Cas leans back and brings their lips together once more, this time drawing out the kiss. Hands come up to brush against his cheeks, and then move down to his ass to grip it tightly. With a moan, Dean opens his mouth to allow Cas’s tongue inside, practically turning into a puddle when the other boy licks his lips.

With a start, Cas breaks away with a laugh. “Dean, we can’t exactly do  _that_ when your brother is right there. Calm yourself, tiger.”

Dean swats his arm and stumbles backwards, a bit dizzy from the kiss. “Speak for yourself. You were practically eating my mouth.”

Cas smiles and then pulls Dean in once again, his touch already beginning to feel familiar on Dean’s skin. “We’ve got time. Better wait until we’ve at least gone on a first date,” he jokes. “Besides...I don’t want to mess this up, Dean. You’re...incredible. I want to do this right.”

He just pecks one last kiss on Cas’s lips before stumbling away down the stairs. “You’re right. We’ve got time,” Dean replies. “I’ll see you on Monday, okay?”

“Okay,” Cas calls as he’s about to leave. “And Dean?”

He turns around. 

“...Happy Valentine’s Day.”

Dean throws him a grin. “Happy Valentine’s Day to you too, Cas.”


End file.
